Farmscape for December 21, 2007 (Episode 2691)
Despite the closure of Saskatchewan's largest pork processing facility, Humboldt based Big Sky Farms has continued its tradition of helping to feed the province's less fortunate during the Christmas season and into the new year.
In 1998, when it seemed like producers were giving away their hogs, Big Sky Farms CEO Florian Possberg decided to make it official by donating 10 tonnes of pork to the province's food banks.
This year Big Sky has donated 15.5 tonnes for inclusion in Christmas hampers and distribution through food banks into the new year.
Possberg says, with the closure of the Mitchell's plant, Drake Meats has stepped in to handle the processing and Aero Delivery has provided storage and delivery.
Clip-Florian Possberg-Big Sky Farms
Drake meats is much smaller processing company than Mitchell's.
Mitchell's would do up to 18 thousand hogs a week and Drake meats can only do maybe 400 hogs a week so Drake really needed a couple of months to get all of the pork processed and put in freezers to make this size of donation and, of course, they've got other business that they've got to run day to day as well.
Mitchell's could do this amount of pork in a couple of days and Drake has had to work on it for a couple of months to put together this whole package of pork roasts.
As well, a company Aero Delivery has been kind enough to store the product and also do the delivery.
So it's a joint effort between Big Sky, Drake and Aero Delivery.
The pork is already in the Food Bank's hands and ready to go for Christmas time.
Possberg notes since making the first donation Big Sky has come to understand the good work the food bank does and it's something staff is proud to be part of.
He says he thought food bank usage would be down because of the recent boom but with high rents and such there is still a need to help people feed their families at certain times of the year.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council